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Ex-CIA official: We will lose terror war
Washington, DC, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The United States will ultimately lose the war on terror because of its policies in the Middle East and because of concerns over the human rights of militants worldwide, the former head of the CIA's team that hunted Osama bin Laden said Friday.

In a conversation with United Press International's reporters and editors, Michael Scheuer, newly revealed as the author of the bestselling book "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror," said bin Laden was now possibly the Arab world's most popular leader, adding al-Qaida's domination of the Internet in the Muslim world was leading to the United States losing its battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide.

Scheuer, who resigned last month from the CIA because of the agency's refusal to allow him permission to grant media interviews, added that before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, the United States had between eight and 10 chances to kill bin Laden, but failed to because of inaction by the upper echelons of the U.S. bureaucracy. He said the Bush administration's claims that two-thirds of al-Qaida's leadership had been killed and destroyed were "ludicrous," noting the group functioned with terrorists, insurgents, financiers and administrators across the globe.

When asked if the United States could win the "war on terror," which was undertaken following the Sept. 11 attacks, Scheuer said: "No. It can't be won. We're going to eventually lose it. And the problem for us is that we're going to lose it much more quickly if we don't start killing more of the enemy."...

..."Unless we change or at least consider changing our policies in the Middle East, the room for bin Laden or bin Ladenism to grow is virtually unlimited," Scheuer said.

He further dismissed Western assessments that bin Laden and his group targeted the United States and Europe because they hate Western culture. He said though they might not want a Western approach to life, their goals were policy-driven.

"They're attacking us because of our unqualified support for Israel. They're attacking us because we've helped cement on their heads tyrannies in the Arab world ... for the last 40 years," he said. They're attacking us because we're in the Arabian Peninsula and it happens to be a holy place for them."...